Ti-TiC-TiC/DLC gradient nano-composite film on a biomedical NiTi alloy

Ti-TiC-TiC/diamond-like carbon (DLC) gradient nano-composite films have been prepared on NiTi alloy substrates by the technique of plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition (PIIID) combined with plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). The influence of negative bias voltage applied to the substrate (from -100 V to -500 V) on the chemical structure, microstructure, mechanical properties and corrosion resistance was investigated by Raman spectrum, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), friction coefficient test, scratch test, nano-indentation test and anodic polarization experiments. The Raman spectrum and XPS results showed that the doped films kept an amorphous DLC structure. TEM observation revealed that nanometer TiC particles were surrounded by the amorphous DLC. With the increase of bias voltage, the ratio of sp2/sp3 first decreased, reaching a minimum value at -200 V, and then increased. The nano-indentation results showed that the hardness of the Ti-TiC-TiC/DLC gradient films reached the maximum value at -200 V when TiC particles reached the maximum content in the films. The friction coefficient test and scratch test indicated that Ti-TiC-TiC/DLC gradient films had a low friction coefficient and high bonding strength with the NiTi substrates. Combined with anodic polarization curves and SEM observation, it was found that the corrosion resistance of the Ti-TiC-TiC/DLC gradient films was much better than that of the bare NiTi alloy.